Diesel returnedagain. Mattie hadn’t realized he’d walked away another time.
“Narci, Torrin, Huck, Potter, and Pike are on the way,” he said. “Was Wally, Jr. wearing a cut?”
Mattie shook her head.
“Either that motherfucker went rogue or Bash played Kendall,” Diesel said grimly, then nodded between Mattie and Harley. “Suppose this had been Rebel? Witheitherof those fuckheads?”
At the look in his eyes, Mattie stepped closer to Grant.
“Rebel’s at home, all safe and sound, Diesel,” CJ told him cautiously. “She’s fine. Mattie and Harley aren’t. They’re our concern right now.”
Diesel’s nostrils flared. “Get them to safety, CJ,” he ordered, and stalked away.
Instead of doing any of the myriad tasks on his agenda, Mortician dropped everything to check on Kendall. When Prez texted, he thought it would be a matter of going to her office and talking to her for an hour or two, allowing Mort to resume his plans of scoping out Dead and Dead, Jr., AKA Ned and Nardo Grevenberg.
He’d spent longer than intended at the hospital yesterday, securing Molly on the club’s wing. In turn, that pushed his plans back a day. Now, he was with Kendall. Either he had to fuck up those motherfuckers without CJ or he had to push their deaths back another day.
A part of him wondered if he was finding every fucking excuse in the motherfucking book tonotfuck up Nardo, the fuckhead who needed it most of it. But he was underage—a kid—and children hadalwaysbeen a hard no for Mortician.
Harley was a kid, too, and just thinking of his distaste at the possibility of having to kill Nardo himself left Mortician guilty. It felt as if he betrayed his baby girl again.
Of course, instead of comforting Kendall or bitching out with Nardo, there were a bunch of other things he could’ve done as well.
For instance, he could’ve found a way to fix his fucking mouth to talk to Prez about everything Bailey revealed.Orhe could’ve talked to Prez about that video that continued to haunthim.
He could’ve checked on Digger. Sharpened his knives and all the other tools he intended to use on Big Dead, and lend to CJ for Dead, Jr. He could’ve called Bunny and asked what she intended to do. Digger seemed to think his woman planned to leave him.
He could’ve doneanyof those things, but he’d taken one look at Kendall and knew ordinary conversation wouldn’t help. Harley was safe at school because Marvey promised Mortician he wouldn’t allow Nardo on the grounds.
Mort didn’t know if he wanted to bury Big Dead alive, then dig him up when he was on the brink of death to torture him. Sticking his hands in acid would be a good ass appetizer,thenburying him alive, andthentorturing him. And what about disposal? If CJ came through, he suspected the kid’s participation would end at Dead, Jr’s death, leaving Mort to get rid of him, too.
Even if Johnnie found out about that, Mort would remind that motherfucker there was nothing against disposing a young fuckhead.
Dropping daddy and son in a barrel of acid would save time. Except that was too fucking much consideration. Those two motherfuckers didn’t fucking deserve to melt in the same vat.
Dismembering and burning the remains could work. That also seemed too fucking easy. On the other hand, Mortician wasn’t about to dig fucking graves for them. A simple burial was too fucking dignified any goddamn way. Woodchipper would also work, although Johnnie was the operator of that machine, and Mortician would sew his own fucking lips before he asked that motherfucker to help, even with Big Dead.
“What are you thinking about?”
Kendall’s voice seeped into his thoughts of violence and gore, bringing Mort back to the present. He inhaled the tangy air and enjoyed the crashing waves.
They sat atop a lookout point, cresting above the Pacific Ocean and the beach below. If they wanted to sink their bare feet in the sand, they just needed to take a short hike to the shoreline.
Mort shrugged. “Shit you don’t need to know.”
“Murder?”
“Justice.”
“Your brand,” she said with a smile.
“I guess so, Red.”
“Did he tell you he’s letting me be a club attorney again?”
“Who?”
“Christopher.” She glanced away. “O-outlaw.”
